The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1887-06-04
The Eault-F finders.
Capitolian.A Advocate.

8Ab tAIC uCdbA VI 0OF. w tllGS At0
ago, Gov. s. D. McEnery, then Lieu
tenant Governor, assumed the duties of
the Chief Magistracy Of the State. The
wrecks that the war of secession and
the era of bayonet rule had made of the
public credit and property, were yet to
be repaired, and a firm hand and wise
head was needed to restore order ont of
the chaos that the oyertnrning of the
social stcuctHre and the passionate ri
valries of men and factions had created.
Tn the face of an unrelenting and fu-
rious opposition, the difficulties that
Gov. McEnery had to surmount were
unparalleled in the history of Louisi-
ana, and in many respects could be
likened to no other period than that Of
Gov. Claiborne's brilliant and historic
administration.
The levees had to be rebuilt; the
public institutions rehabilitated the
public credit restored th@laws and the
government harmonized with the limit
ations and requirements of the new
constitution a public policy adopted
that would solve the race issues and Of
fer guarantees for the investment of
capital in property and in various in
| dustries and enterprises.
We will not elaborate on this theme.
But the confidence and hopefulness
with which the people all over the State
are investing their means for the i'm
provement of their property, give un-
deniarfe proof that Gov. McEnery has
been equal to the emergency, and has
done his duty with signal ability and
success.
The constantly increasing number of
the supporters of his administration
testify to these facts, and thousands of
good, patriotic and intelligent citizens
point proudly to its results.
The fault-fnders, however, and they
are always numerous in campaign years,
can always trump up something to
make political capital of, and we have
had occasion of late, to prick several of
their bubbles.
But the Reform press never tires of
the game, nor to stick, when once
they've made it, to the assertion that
the horse is sixteen feet high.
The st. Landry Democrat is a Re-
former from Bitterville, aud its readers
can always find in it's columns the bitter
est anti MeEnery articles agoing. Ed
itorially it keeps pace with its clippings.
| Last week, it had a red-hot arraign-
ment of the Governor for his failure to
interpret the laws regulating special
elections for district judge, in the DEM
Ocrat's own peculiar way. q
This week, the same paper charges
him with being "an enemy of the peo-
pie y upon the ground that at the last
session OF Che Legislature he refused to
| sign an act repeating the section of the
election law of 1882, requiring the bal
lots to be printed upon paper Of uniform
size and quality, to be obtained from the
Secretary Of State, etc., etc.
The specification of the Governors
alleged crime reads thus:
Well, the Senate committee on elections
unanimously reported in favor of the repeal
of the obnoxious section, and this reform
measure passed both houses Of the Legisia-
ture, no one making opposition. The Gov
ernor refused to sign the act. Some Of his
personal and political friends were surprised.
| Senator George A. Kelly, of Winn, one of the
Governors supporters, made a strong person
al appeal to him to sign it. He refused, say
ing that the law as it stood was good enough.
| For this latter statement we can give excel
lent authority"
Now, let us see where this excellent
authority finds its foundation for this
inaccurate charge
Senator Kelly's bill made no other
change in the law in question than to
| insert the words e WRITTEN OR before
the words printed on one ticket To
substantiate, we quote therefrom the
following, viz:
THAT all the names of persons voted for OF
against all constitutional amendments sub
| mitted TO the people to be voted on, shall be
WRITTEN OR printed on one ticket. or ballot
of aosite paper of asssforD, siSe and quality I'd
be furnished by the Secretary Of Slate, at q
charge of .Jfoe per cesstttns oger and Gboce tht
actual cost Of said paper, etc., ETC"
It will be seen that Senator Kelly's
bill did not repeal the Objectionable
feature italicized by us, and it is because
! the bill Wretained tAis feature and merely
added the words WRITTEN OR to the
entire election law complained of, that
the Governor declined to sanction the
/ insertion upon the statute books, of 9
bill that went no farther to meet the
recommendations in his message of 1884
relative to this matter, which were al
] follows:
ELECTION LAWS.
aThe present election laws, Acts of 1877
| 1880 and 1882, are defective. The recent cleo
/ tion has developed their defects. recon
mend that all laws relating to elections be re
I pealed and that one be enacted dispensing
I with the Objectionable features of the presen
election code.
"A careful analysis of the present law vii
4 show that it was conducted for the purpos
i of giving the fullest expression to the will o
/ the voter. The police jury fixes the polling
places and appoints the clerk of the commits
4 ssioners, the returning officer, the commission
ers. and he is required to make return Ger
titled to as corresponding with the return
Il fled by the commissioners, in the clerks OF
Il fee One of the commissioners must belong
i to the opposing political party, and the clerl
Of registration is selected from the same par
i tv. The vote must be counted at the polling
! place Id the presence of s.any voter or voters
who desire to witness the count. It Y Impos
4 sible for q fraud to be committed without de
4 faction, The Objectionable feature is in reg atif
j ;aaq he Secretary of State To furnish the Pdpe
anon arhich lie names of candidates must Q
Ds.isssed The object OF this provision was T
1 nrevent the disclosing of the manner in Wh1cl
Il the voter east his ballot But the system
Il does not meet with popular approval, and
Il therefore suggest that q law be enacted gly
4 ing the fullest opportunity for the expresslo
of the wishes of tho majority
With these lights before them on
4 readers can decide how far the St. Ian
d dry Democrat was justified in It's v1o
lent arraignment of the Governor.
Tav4rrr1as,ss Arnica SaIye.